The Ekiti State Deputy Governor and deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Monisade Afuye, has commended the voters for their sense of patriotism with the way they trooped out en masse to exercise their civic responsibility in the ongoing governorship poll in the state.

In the same manner, Mrs Afuye applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies for what she described as impartiality, leading to peaceful conduct of the Ekiti governorship election across the state.

Afuye spoke after casting her ballot at Atiba/Aafin Ward 1, polling unit 003, at Ikere Ekiti, on Saturday.

Afuye, as the deputy governor, is seeking re-election on a joint ticket with her principal and sitting governor of the state, Biodun Oyebanji of the APC.

Expressing her feelings about the progress being made after voting at about 8.50am, Mrs Afuye said the turnout of voters is attesting to the fact that Nigeria’s democracy is fast maturing and developing.

Mrs Afuye appealed to political gladiators to play by the electoral rules set by INEC to keep the tempo of peace that accompanied the election from the start to the collation time.

“You can see for yourselves how people trooped out to participate in this election. Not only trooping out but being ready and anxious to participate in the voting. I am indeed impressed with this conduct of our voters.

“I am not using Ikere as the only area of focus now, we are getting the same information from some of our local governments and towns about how our voters are coming out in large numbers. I am happy about this. This shows that the rigorous campaigns that we did yield positive results.

“I have to commend the INEC as well and our security agencies. They really prepared for this election. You can see that nobody is being intimidated and I believe if we continue like this, this election may turn out being the best in Ekiti history.”

Asked to predict the outcome of the poll, Afuye said her boss, Biodun Oyebanji, has served Ekiti with every fiber in his body and is widely adjudged to have performed excellently well, exuding confidence that the APC candidate will triumph in the election.

“Governor Oyebanji is not only winning this election, it is going to be with a wide margin.” (TRIBUNE)